Quinoa is one of my favourite grains. It is nutrient dense, gluten-free, cooks quickly, has a nice flavour and can be incorporated into many different dishes.

Nutrition:

Quinoa is an ancient whole grain high in protein, fibre and numerous vitamins and minerals. Below is a chart comparing the nutrient profiles of quinoa, brown rice and white rice (unenriched).

Nutrient(per 1 cup, cooked)

Quinoa

Brown rice

White rice

Amount

%DV

Amount

%DV

Amount

%DV

Calories

222

~

216

~

205

~

Carbohydrate

39 g

~

45 g

~

45 g

~

Protein

8 g

~

5 g

~

4 g

~

Fat

4 g

~

2 g

~

0 g

~

Fibre

5 g

~

4 g

~

1 g

~

Iron

2.8 mg

15%

0.8mg

5%

0.3 mg

2%

Calcium

31mg

3%

18.5 mg

2%

15.8 mg

2%

Zinc

2 mg

13%

1.2 mg

8%

0.8 mg

5%

Magnesium

118 mg

30%

84 mg

21%

19 mg

5%

Potassium

318 mg

9%

84 mg

2%

55 mg

2%

Phosphorus

281 mg

28%

162 mg

16%

68 mg

7%

Vitamin B6

0.2 mg

11%

0.3 mg

14%

0.1 mg

7%

Folate (B9)

78 mcg

19%

7.8 mcg

2%

4.7 mcg

1%

Thiamin (B1)

0.2 mg

13%

0.2 mg

13%

0.0 mg *

2%

Niacin (B3)

0.8 mg

4%

3 mg

15%

0.6 mg

3%

* Trace amounts, DV= daily value

How to cook it:

Rinse 1/2 cup of dry quinoa with cold water. Add the rinsed quinoa to 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes. The grains will look translucent when fully cooked. Serves 2.

How to use it:

Breakfast: Prepare quinoa as a hot cereal. Stir in a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar. Top with milk and fresh fruit.

Lunch/Dinner: Add cooked quinoa to a salad or soup, use it anywhere you would use rice (stir fry, side dish), or try quinoa salmon patties

Quinoa can be found at any natural food store, as well as some grocery and corner stores. However, at some places it can be quite expensive (so shop around). I found that the cheapest place to get it by far is at Costco: $10.49 for a 4 lb bag (which makes 41 servings) of organic quinoa. This works out to be $2.62/lb or $0.58/100g or $0.25/serving.